Star Notes

Your step by step path to clear English

Bonus Lesson

Breaking Words into Syllables Date: / /

Play this fun game online to practice breaking words into syllables:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/game/en01soun-game-syllables-factory

How to identify the number of syllables:

1] Say the word out loud.

2] As you say the word, clap each vowel sound that you say. Each clap makes a beat,
which marks a syllable.

Say these words out loud and clap out the syllables:

we say one vowel sound, that’s one clap,

look
so there’s 1 syllable.

we say one vowel sound, that’s one clap,

voice
so there’s 1 syllable

wal-king
walking we say two vowels, that’s two claps,
so there are 2 syllables.

car-pet
carpet we say two vowels, that’s two claps,
so there are 2 syllables.

care-fu-lly
carefully we say three vowels, that’s three claps,
so there are 3 syllables.

con-sis-tent
consistent we say three vowels, that’s three claps,
so there are 3 syllables.

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 Star Notes
Your step by step path to clear English
Bonus Lesson

Breaking Words into Syllables

Here are some more examples:

Clap out the syllables as you say each word out loud.

Number of
Target Word Syllables IPA
syllables

dog dog /dɒg/ 1

meet meet /miːt/ 1

nice nice /naɪs/ 1

nicer ni-cer /ˈnaɪ.sə/ 2

project pro-ject /ˈprɒ.dʒekt/ 2

table ta-ble /ˈteɪ.bəl ̩ / 2

reporter re-por-ter /rəˈpɔː.tə/ 3

radio ra-di-o /ˈreɪ.di.joʊ/ 3

adventure ad-ven-ture /ədˈven.tʃə/ 3

Impossible im-po-ssi-ble /ɪmˈpɒ.sɪ.bəl ̩ / 4

operation o-pe-ra-tion /ˌɒ.pə.ˈreɪ.ʃən/ 4

discovery di-sco-ve-ry /dəˈskʌ.və.ri/ 4

congratulations con-gra-tu-la-tions /kənˌgræ.tjʊˈleɪ.ʃənz/ 5

qualification qua-li-fi-ca-tion /ˌkwɒ.lə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən/ 5

undeniable un-de-ni-a-ble /ˌʌn.dɪˈnaɪ.jə.bəl ̩ / 5

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 Star Notes
Your step by step path to clear English
Bonus Lesson

Breaking Words into Syllables

Things you need to know:

1] Each syllable in English contains a vowel.

2] Be aware that we use sounds when we speak. We use letters when we write. For break-
ing words into syllables it is the way we pronounce the word that is important, not the
spelling. We focus on the number of vowel sounds, not the letters.

3] Make sure you can identify English consonant letters and vowel letters. Remember
there are five vowel letters in English: a, e, i, o, u.

4] Sometimes one vowel sound is made up of more than one vowel letter. For example
in the word ‘laugh’ the two vowel letters ‘au’ form one sound. The letters ‘au’ make the
single vowel sound /a:/ like in ‘car’. The word ‘laugh’ has one syllable because we
pronounce one vowel sound.

5] Beware silent letters, like in the words ‘late’ and ‘name’. ‘Late’ and ‘name’ have one
syllable as we only pronounce one vowel when we say these words. The letter ‘e’ is silent.

6] A diphthong vowel sound makes one syllable. For example /oʊ/ makes one syllable in
the word ‘most’ - /moʊst/and /eɪ/ in the word ‘rate’ - /reɪt/.

7] English words can have one syllable or many syllables. Most words have 1, 2, 3 or 4
syllables.

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